Ankle-boot for horses



(No Model.)

D. CURTIS.

ANKLE BOOT FOR HORSES.

No. 342,430; v Patented May '25, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEXTER CURTIS, 0F MADISON, WISCONSIN.

ANKLE-BOOT FOR HORSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,430, dated May 25, 1886.

Application filed September 12, 1885. Serial No. 176,927. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DEXTER CURTIS, of Madison, in the county of Dane and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ankle Boots for Horses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The ordinary ankle-boot of horses consists, usually, of a piece of leather struck up by means of dies so as to conform generally to the outline of a horses ankle, and provided with straps or other means of attachment for securing it in position on the ankle. So long as such boots remain dry, they are moderately efficient in protecting the animals ankle, but when they become wet they lose their shape, become flexible, and in many instances serve rather as an aggravation than as a protection to a sore ankle by bearing directly upon the point which is intended to be shielded. A further objection to the ordinary form of boot is that when it becomes wet it not only loses its shape, and ceases to be a protection to the ankle while in place, but is liable to shift its position and uncover the ankle-bone, which ordinarily causes it to keep in position, and subjects that part to further irritation. Observing these defects in the ordinary ankleboots, I have succeeded in remedying it by applying to the bowl of the boot or pad a plate of zinc, which I apply to the leather before the latter is struck up or pressed into shape, so as to effect the most intimate union of the two in the striking up or pressing operation. By preference I form upon the zinc plate a series of projections or ears, which I strike through the body of the leather and turn down or clinch on the opposite side, and these projections serve to hold the two parts firmly together, though in addition I preferably employ anumber of extra rivets. \Vith an ankle-boot thus constructed the bowl shape of the pad is always preserved, and as it fits over the ankle-boneit is kept in position to more effectually protect the latter from injury, and is not at all influenced by dampness or rough usage, and the zinc, besides being smooth and offering a surface to which dirt will not readily adhere, presents a cool hear ing to the sore and inflamed ankle and makes available the recognized remedial qualities and virtues of this particular metal.

By the application of the pressure required to impart the desired shape to the boot the zinc is depressed into the leather so that its edges lie flush with the surface of the latter, and thus render the whole inner surface ofthe boot practically continuous.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the boot con structed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a similar view of the metal detached from the leather, and Fig. 3 a sectional view taken on the line (I? at, Fig. 1..

The letter A indicates the leather; B, the zinc plate applied to the leather, and with the latter struck out or pressed to form the bowl of the boot.

(Z are the projections on the metal that are struck through the leather and turned down on the other side, as shown in Fig. 3, and O are the supplemental rivets employed to assist in more firmly uniting the parts together.

I claim as my invention 1. In ahorse ankle boot, the combination, with the leather body and the strap connected thereto for attachment to the ankle, of the rigid smooth metallic plate applied to the inside of the bowl of the boot, for retaining the leather in shape, and secured therein by means of rivet-s or other suitable fastening, substan tially as described.

2. Theimproved ankle-protector for horses,

consisting of a non-metallic pad crimped in concavo-convex form to fit the ankle of the horse, a metallic plate of corresponding shape secured to the pad to preserve its shape, and a retaining-strap, substantially as set forth. DEXTER CURTIS. Vitnesses:

R. W. CoMLY, HENRY KESSENIOH. 

